Brush type vacuum cleaner nozzle of air motor type



July 25, 1961 I. c. CHILD 2,993,224

BRUSH TYPE VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE OF AIR MOTOR TYPE Filed Oct. 1, 1956 I E INVENTOR.

United States Patent 2,993,224 BRUSH TYPE VACUUM CLEANER NOZZLE OF AIR MOTOR TYPE Ivan C. Child, 304 S. Elm, Three Oaks, lVIich. Filed Oct. 1, 1956, Ser. No. 613,314 3 Claims. (Cl. 15-'387) This invention relates to a vacuum cleaner nozzle and more particularly to a nozzle having an internal pneumatically driven brush.

In the past, it has been found advantageous to utilize a motor driven brush in the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner. This has been common for many years in upright cleaners where the main motor has an appropriate takeoff which is used to drive a rotating brush. Such a brush contacts the surface to be cleaned and loosens dirt and lint therefrom, thereby facilitating its being picked up by the vacuum cleaner suction. In more recent years, the tank-type of vacuum cleaner has also become popular. In the tank-type of vacuum cleaner there is used customarily a hose to the end of which is secured a wand. At the end of the wand is the nozzle. It is apparent that with the increased remoteness from the motor produced by the hose and wand in a tank-type cleaner, it has been impractical to provide a mechanically driven brush at such nozzle.

The present invention, therefore, comprises a vacuum cleaner nozzle in which is located a pneumatic motor or rotor which is operated by the suction produced by the primary motor and impeller. To this pneumatic motor or vacuum motor which is located in the nozzle, there is attached appropriate brush means which is so located as to contact the floor in the area of the inlet. Thus, by use of this invention, it becomes possible for the operator to indirectly utilize the energy coming from'the main motor to loosen the dirt, as distinguished from the present practice of leaning on and performing a scrub mop type of rubbing or brushing of the floor in order to loosen dirt.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a nozzle for a vacuum cleaner wand which has an internal pneumatic motor, operated by the vacuum cleaner suction, the output of the motor being used to drive a brush which is directed to the surface to be cleaned.

-It is a further object of this invention to provide a vacuum cleaner nozzle brush capable of operation at various speeds.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a movable brush for a vacuum cleaner wand, together with pneumatically operated means for moving such brush.

Still another object is the provision of retractable rotary brushes in a vacuum cleaner nozzle, such retraction of a certain brush occurring once per revolution.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the attached sheet of drawings, which, by way of a preferred embodiment, illustrates the invention.

the drawings: ,;FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an assembled nozzle according to the invention;

'FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines IIII of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation of FIGURE 1 with the end cover removed;

FIGURE 4 is a partial section taken generally along the lines IVIV of FIGURE 1 showing the details of the end construction; I

FIGURE 5 consists of two views of a detail part; and

FIGURE 6 illustrates the manner in which the invention may be connected to the wand of a vacuum cleaner.

As shown on the drawings:

The nozzle of the present invention includes a nozzle 10 which has means 11 adapted for attachment to a vacuum cleaner wand 12 as shown in FIGURE 6.

Referring to FIGURE 2, the nozzle comprises the housing 10 in which is located a pneumatic motor, generally indicated by the numeral 13 which drives brushes 14. Through the housing there is an internal passage generally indicated by the numerals 15, 16, 17 and 18, which sequence also denotes the downstream direction of air travel. On the interior of the housing there is an arcuate surface 20 which begins near the open inlet end of the passage at numeral 15 and extends in excess of about a center to a point adjacent to the open outlet end and attachment means 11. Concentrically arranged within this arcuate surface is a cylindrical member or cylinder 21 having brush apertures 22. A cross web 23 provides a dividing membrane between the two halves of the cylinder. Vanes 24 are rockably supported at 25 and have integral plates 26 which mount the brushes 14. The apertures are slightly longer than the brushes, and may extend the entire length of the cylindrical member. A blade seal 27 secured to the cylindrical member 21 bears against the pivots 25 to effectively close off the interior of the cylinder at the vanes.

Opposite to the cylindrical or arcuate surface 20 is a further curved surface 29 which cooperates closely with the cylindrical member at a point opposite to the arcuate surface 20. Unlike the arcuate surface 20, which is spaced from the cylindrical member, the curved surface 29 lies closely thereto to serve as a seal. As will be explained later, it also serves as a stop or cam. A cover 31 fits over each end of the nozzle as shown in FIG- URE 1.

Referring to FIGURE 3, the housing extends to the outer edge as indicated at 10a and is curved forward to point 10b and backward and reversed to point 10c. A housing insert 35 fits interiorly of the end of the housing as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. This housing insert supports a conventional bearing assembly 36 which receives stub shaft 37 of the cylindrical member. Flanges 35a extend inward of the insert and underlie the vanes 24. A bearing plate 38 is carried by each end of the cylindrical member 21. This bearing plate has an aperture at the center which receives the stub shaft 37 loosely and has bosses 38a which receive the outward ends of the vane pivots 25. The cap 31 is provided with one or more openings in its surface, together with adjustable means for varying the size of such openings. The components comprising the entire structure may be bolted, welded, soldered, screwed or press fitted together, the exact means being a matter of choice and not a part of this invention.

When the nozzle is supplied with a vacuum, or more properly speaking, when a negative pressure is applied at the outlet 11, atmospheric pressure forces air in around the entire outer edge into the inlet generally indicated by the numeral 15. This air travels up the space indicated by reference numeral :16 and applies a force against vane 24 which causes the cyl-indricalmember 21 to rotate. It will be noted that the space 16, 17 is essentially of uniform size and that vane 24 brushes against the inner surface 20. Since the pressure is higher on the upstream side of vane 24 than on the downstream or outlet side, a torque is exerted about the shaft 37 which causes the cylindrical member to rotate in a counterclockwise direction as indicated in FI GURE Z. The upper vane 24 will reach the upper end of arcuate surface 20 after the other vane has engaged the lower end of that surface since the vanes are 180 apart and since surface 20 extends over 180 of arc. When the upper vane 24 reaches the sealing or carn surface 29, such edge will both cam the vane 24 into a position essentially flush with the cylindrical member 21 and also provide a restriction which prevents the inflow of air. Although there is no positive seal here, there is a substantial restriction so that most of the air will find it somewhat easier to take the alternate route adjacent to surface 20. The camming action of flanges 351) against vane 24 rocks that vane about pivot 25 causing plates 26 to extend brushes 14- through the apertures 22 into the area immediately under the rotating cylindrical member. When the trailing edge of vane 24 leaves the trailing edge of surface 29, it is supported at its ends by flanges 35a. Thus, the vane will not be extended while it is immediately adjacent the surface to be cleaned. Thereafter the flanges allow the vane to again rock outwardly about pivot 25. This rocking will be caused by the fact that the vane being somewhat heavier than the brush, is statically unbalanced, cooperating with the fact that centrifugal force will throw the vane outward. This outward rocking of the vane will retract the brush and any long objects such as toothpicks, which might be stuck between the bristles, will be stripped off the bristles by the edges defining aperture 22. It will be seen that the bristles themselves enter surface 20 somewhat ahead of the following vane. Accordingly, such bristles also tend to serve as vanes and positively drive the dirt up into the space indicated by the numeral 16. The web member 23 along with the seal 27 prevents the passage of air, or short circuiting of air around the Vane.

Of course flanges 35a may be omitted to thereby cause extension of the vanes while they are adjacent to the surface to be cleaned. Such structure may be utilized to cause a beating of the rug or carpet being cleaned.

It can be seen that if the entire inlet surface were closed, as by a rug having a tight pile, since the inlet air would be effectively cut ofi, the cylindrical member 21 would cease to rotate. Accordingly, holes are provided in the end plate 31 which permit a minimum amount of bleed air to enter the end cap and to flow past points b and 10c as shown on FIGURE 3 to reach the entire undersurface of the nozzle. Accordingly, the size of the apertures may be adjusted so as to select the operating speed of the pneumatic rotor or cylindrical member. The cylindrical member rotates in bearing 36 and the vanes rock in bearing portions 380 of end plate 38.

Thus, it has been shown how a relatively small amount of energy in the form of suction may be utilized to drive a pneumatic motor which is caused to mechanically drive the brushes and hence, to physically and directly loosen the dirt from the surface to be cleaned.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention, but it is understood that this application is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims. 7

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vacuum cleaner nozzle having a housing with walls thereof defining a passage for conducting'moving air, a rotatable cylindrical member bearingly supported at its ends within said passage by the housing, an arcuate surface on said housing defining part of said passage and extending angularly about the member and spaced therefrom, the improvement comprising: a pair of elements each having a vane portion and a brush portion; pivot means for each of said elements secured thereto intermediate said vane and said brush portions of an element, and carried by the cylindrical member at its periphery at uniformly spaced axially extending lines; only one of said Vane and brush portions of an element being fully extendable from the cylindrical member at a time; and said brush portions being pivotable in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the cylindrical member to extend said brush portions.

2. In a vacuum cleaner nozzle having a housing with walls thereof defining a passage for conducting moving air, a rotatable cylindrical member bearingly supported at its ends within said passage by the housing, an arcuate surface on said housing defining part of said passage and extending'angularly about the member and spaced therefrom, the improvement comprising: a pair of separate vane portions and a pair of separate brush portions, each pair being movably carried by said cylindrical member at its periphery at uniformly angularly spaced axially extending positions and retractable thereinto; and means carried by said housing for periodically reciprocating said brush and said vane portions in response to and synchronized with cylinder rotation.

3. In a vacuum cleaner nozzle having a housing with walls thereof defining a passage for conducting moving air and including a generally semi-cylindrical surface, the improvement comprising: a longitudinal rotatable hollow cylinder bearingly supported at its ends by said housing and disposed in spaced generally concentric relation to the semi-cylindrical surface, said cylinder having an axially extending cross-web dividing the interior thereof into separate compartments; said cylinder having axially extending vane slots on its periphery, each vane slot being adjacent to and substantially sealed from one of said compartments, and said cylinder also having brush slots on its periphery angularly spaced from said vane slots; a plurality of elements individually disposed in said compartments and each having a vane portionand a brush portion; elongated pivot means for each of said ,elements'securedthereto intermediate said vane and said brush portions of the element, and carried by said cylinder at its periphery at an axially extending line intermediate 'said vane'slot'and said brush slot of a compartment, said vane portion being pivotally extendable and retractible through its vane' slot and said brush portion simultaneously therewith being retractible and extendable through its brush slot; and means carried by said housing for periodically rocking said elements individually in response to cylinder rotation to eifect simultaneous radially inward movement of one of said portions and radially outward movement of the associated other portion.

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